Many opportunities to remember true American heroes this Memorial Day

Memorial Day is observed with dignity at Mystic Seaport. A three-gun salute will be given from the deck of the Joseph Conrad.

Memorial Day is observed with dignity at Mystic Seaport. A three-gun salute will be given from the deck of the Joseph Conrad.

Photo: Dennis A. Murphy / Contributed Photo

Photo: Dennis A. Murphy / Contributed Photo

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Memorial Day is observed with dignity at Mystic Seaport. A three-gun salute will be given from the deck of the Joseph Conrad.

Memorial Day is observed with dignity at Mystic Seaport. A three-gun salute will be given from the deck of the Joseph Conrad.

Photo: Dennis A. Murphy / Contributed Photo

Many opportunities to remember true American heroes this Memorial Day

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Editor’s note: A listing of parades is in the GO calendar, on Page 18.

With 2018 marking the150th anniversary of Memorial Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, museums around the state are asking folks to consider the “true nature” of the holiday on Monday, May 28.

Several institutions are offering events and exhibits that pay tribute to the 1.35 million Americans who have died in service to their homeland since the Revolutionary War. Providing a “meaningful experience” that goes beyond a day off from work or school, store sales and picnics, is their intent, said Mystic Seaport & Museum spokesman Dan McFadden in an email.

The U.S. government formally instituted Decoration Day in 1868 as a national day of remembrance for the fallen soldiers from the Civil War (1861-1865). Graves were tended and decorated (hence the original name for the holiday), church services were held and families and friends gathered to support the many veterans still in their midst, McFadden said.

Mystic Seaport activities

At the recreated seaport village, “On Memorial Day, visitors are invited to the Fishtown Chapel at 10:30 a.m., to witness the memorials laid for local Civil War soldiers (in 1876 style). At noon church bells will toll at the Greenmanville Church for a brief service with sermon and hymns. A color guard leads everyone to the waterfront, where wreaths are laid for the artillery and infantry. As the procession reaches the end of Middle Wharf, a bugler aboard the Charles W. Morgan begins taps, followed by a wreath-laying for the Navy and a three-gun salute from the Joseph Conrad.” Everyone will be offered a flower to throw into the river in memory of their own losses.

“At 1:45 p.m. a special presentation by the Chantey Program staff illustrates the different roles of music on the home front, in camp and on the field or sea of battle during wartime. The day’s observances conclude in the Seamen’s Friend Society Reading Room with a discussion of the long-term repercussions of war on 19th-century Mystic” and beyond, according to the museum. Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., in the Mystic section of Stonington. Daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $28.95, $26.95 seniors, $18.95 ages 4-14. 888-973-2767, mysticseaport.org

World War I exhibitions

“World War I: Beyond the Front Lines” is on display at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven. Although the world’s first modern-day international conflict was fought in Europe from 1914-18, the exhibit points out that the United States participated from April 6, 1917, until Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1918, resulting in the deaths of more than 116,000 American soldiers and sailors. “The impact of World War I was felt for generations. Industrialized weapons were introduced and methods of combat were forever altered,” the museum said. “The map of Europe was completely redrawn at the conclusion of the war, and decisions that followed may be attributed to the start of World War II in 1939. No one was unaffected during this time period.” The exhibit provides a historical retrospective of the war and includes interactive displays, images and artifacts. Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State St., New Haven. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. 203-865-0400, kofcmuseum.org

“Facing War: Connecticut in World War I,” May 22 to Dec 1, is on view at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. According to the society, the exhibit explores how state residents “responded to the conflict and how it impacted life during and after the war. Hundreds of photographs, letters, posters, clothing, equipment and other artifacts from the CHS collection help tell the stories of Connecticut individuals impacted by the war, including military servicemen and servicewomen, nurses, conscientious objectors and YMCA and Red Cross workers. Similar to today, in 1918 people in Connecticut struggled to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, concerns about immigration, a global refugee crisis and discrimination.” Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth St., Hartford. Tuesday-Thursday, noon to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $12, $10 seniors, $8 students. 860-236-5621, chs.org

“Patriotic Persuasion: American Posters of the First World War” runs through Sunday, June 10, at theBruce Museum in Greenwich. On view are several dramatic posters that the government used to encourage support of the war effort. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $10, $8 students, seniors. Free Tuesdays. 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org